Machine for smoothing damaged cross ties in railroad track



July 12, 1955 SIMMONS ETAL 2,712,841

MACHINE FOR SMOOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES IN RAILROAD TRACK Filed Feb. 10,

5 Sheets-Sheet l July 12, 1955 R. e. SIMMONS ETAL 21,712,841

MACHINE FOR SMOOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES IN RAILROAD TRACK Filed Feb. 10, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvroxs. Wm Mm w N M, 6% W July 12, 1955 R. G. SIMMONS ETAL MACHINE FOR SMOOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES IN RAILROAD TRACK 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 10, 1954 y 2, 1955 R. G. SIMMONS ETAL 2,712,841

MACHINE FOR SMOOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES- IN RAILROAD TRACK 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 10, 1954 INVENTORS.

WWW/(f a M M R. G. SIMMONS ETAL MACHINE FOR SMOOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES IN RAILROAD TRACK July 12, 1955 5 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed Feb. 10, 1954 INVENTORS Mm q WWW United States Patent MACHINE FOR SMGOTHING DAMAGED CROSS TIES IN RAILROAD TRACK Richard Glenn Simmons, Franklin Park, and Russell Edward Panlson, Itasca, Ill.

When railroad cars are derailed, the flanged wheels bounce along the cross ties with the result that they are left with torn, jagged surfaces which readily absorb and hold moisture and promote rotting. Heretofore, those injuries have been treated by hand adzing, but unavoidably that has left the ties with uneven and non-uniform surfaces, and many times there have been deep, unnecessary cuts which let moisture into the inner wood, thereby promoting decay.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a machine for doing that work rapidly, cheaply, and with great uniformity. Generally speaking, this is accomplished by providing a cutter head rotating about a vertical axis and mounted to swing up and down and from side to side on a rail car so as to reach any part of the cross ties where injury has occurred, cut away the damaged r wood, and leave the ties with smooth, upper surfaces that will shed water and resist rotting.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine in operation on a section of railroad track;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front end view;

Fig. 4 is a partial section through the trunnion assembly and trunnion bearings;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig, 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the boom frame with the motor shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a section of track with the machine in operation, indicating the typical injury of the ties and the typical resurface provided by the machine; and

Fig, 10 is a perspective view of a portion of a cross tie and a set of cutter blades together with the paths cut by those blades as the machine travels along over the ties.

But these drawings and the corresponding description are for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

The machine illustrated in the drawings includes a main carriage frame 10 mounted on four flanged wheels 11 to travel along the track 12 over the injured ties. One set of flanged Wheels 11 is mounted on an axle 13 at one end of the frame, and the wheels of the other set are individually mounted on stub shafts 14 journalled in bearings 15 (Figs. 2 and 3).

Mounted on the main carriage frame it? in line with the stub shafts 14 is a trunnion assembly is; (Figs. 4, 5, and 6) fabricated of commercial shapes 17 and lengths of shafting 18, which latter serve as trunnions journalled in eccentric bearings 19, threaded into pillow blocks or frames 20 mounted on the carriage frame.

Between the stub shafts 18, the trunnion assembly is provided with an upright pintle 21 substantially at right angles to the stub shafts and serving as a pivot for the boom frame 22, including a bolster 23 having a center bearing 24 (Fig. 4) to receive the pintle 21.

A cutter head 25 is mounted to rotate about a substantially vertical axis by means of a cutter head shaft 26 journalled in bearings 27 on the boom frame. Power for driving the cutter head is derived from an internal combustion engine 28 having a flywheel pulley 29 connected by a belt 30 with a driven pulley 31 on the shaft 26, and there is a belt tightener and guide pulley 32 adjustably mounted in a sub-frame 33 on the bottom frame between the cutter head and the trunnion assembly.

The cutter head preferably is equipped with a plurality of pairs of blades 34, 35, and 36 (Fig. 10), which in the rotary and translating movement cut kerfs or paths 37, 38, and 39 in the ties andresult in a smooth bottom portion 40 connected with the top of the tie by inclined portions 41, all those surfaces being smooth and even and well adapted to shed water and resist rot. The blades are well guarded to protect the operators.

The up and down rocking of the boom frame provided by the trunnions 18 permits the cutter head to be raised for travel and lowered for operation, and the eccentrics 19 enable the operators to adjust the height to correspond with the height of the rails and the surface of the ties to be operated on. The adjustment is effected by a tool inserted in openings (Fig. 4) 42, and the adjustment is secured by studs 43.

The side swinging of the boom provided by the pintle 21 and the center bearing 24 makes it possible to put the cutter head anywhere between the tie plates 44, as will be clear from Fig. 3, where the solid lines show the cutter head in the mid portion or on the center line of the track, and the dotted lines shown it at each side and also in Fig. 9, from which it will be apparent that the cutter head can be put wherever the injury is to be smoothed away.

The trunnion assembly 15 is provided with a plate having a curved slot 46 aligned with an opening 47 in a block 48 on the boom frame and a clamp 49 cooperating with the arm and the plate makes it possible to limit the swinging motion of the boom from side to side and to set it in a particular position suited to the injury to be smoothed away.

The end of the boom frame opposite to the cutter head is provided with an upwardly inclined arm 50 adapted to receive counterweights 51 by which the boom frame as a whole with all its equipment may be given a suitable balance about the trunnions.

At the opposite end of the boom frame and about the cutter shaft there is provided a handle frame 52 having handles 53 by which the operators can move the machine along the track and direct the cutter head to the smoothing work on the ties.

The main carriage frame and the boom frame are provided with hitches 54 by which the machine may be towed from the rail car.

As appears best in Figs. 2, 4, and 7, the pintle 21 and center bearing 24 are at one side of the center line to balance the boom and its load laterally, and arrange the mechanism to advantage.

In operation, the machine is brought to the length of track where the ties have been injured; the boom is swung laterally to bring the axis of the cutter head in line with the main line of tie injury 55 (Fig. 9); and the clamp 49 is set up. The motor 28 is started, and the operators grasp the handles 53 and move the machine along the track, directing the cutter head at the injury in the ties.

In one form of the machine that has been found satisfactory, a single pass along the track will smooth six ties a minute; a double pass three ties a minute; and make the surface consisting of the flat portion 40 and the inclines 41 at least 11 /2" in width, which is ordinarily sufficient for the purpose.

We claim: V

1. In a machine for smoothing damaged cross ties in railroad trackya main carriage frame mounted on wheels to travel along the track, a boom frame, a cutter head mounted on the boom frame to rotate about a substantially vertical axis, trunnions supporting the boom frame on the main frame to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, means to raise and lower the trunnions, a pintle supported by the trunnions and on which the boom frame is mounted to swing about a substantially vertical 7 axis normal to the plane containing the surface of the rails, and means to limit the swinging movement about the vertical axis.

, 2. A boom for an adzing machine comprising an elongate frame having a cutter head mounted on one end thereof for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and an adjustable counterweight mounted on the other end References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 629,203 McLaughlin July 18, 1899 807,560 Kratsch Dec. 19, 1905 1,285,041 Clark Nov. 19, 1918 1,798,783 Buettner et a1 Mar. 31, 1931 1,820,636 Talboys Aug. 25, 1931 2,320,161 Talboys May 25, 1943 2,336,652 Talboys Dec. 14, 1943 2,462,314 Fuqua Feb; 22, 1949 

